TeamViewer Study: March Madness to Impact Office Productivity

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of Americans plan to keep track of the tournament while working, and 45% will spend more than hour per day following the games; 68% of Americans want to work from home during the tournament

TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TeamViewer®, one of the world’s most popular providers of remote control and online meetings software, today announced the findings of its survey of over 500 American adult office workers ages 18 and older, conducted online by uSamp in March. The survey, which was aimed at determining the behavior and attitudes of office workers during the tournament, found that nearly three-quarters (73%) of Americans plan to keep track of the games while they’re working. The most prevalent way of keeping track of March Madness included 52% who will read online sports news, followed by:

“TeamViewer works with sports fans by providing the ability for them to work from home without any limitation to their access to the materials and tools they use every day.”

• Sneak a peek at my mobile device – 37%
• Watching streaming online clips, highlights and news – 32%
• Keep a television running at work – 21%
• Watch full-length games streaming online – 19%

And this behavior is set to have a big impact. The study shows that 45% of Americans will spend more than an hour of each workday following the games, with 8% planning to spend more than five hours. Almost half (47%) of Americans say they will follow the March Madness tournament “closely” or “very closely,” and three-quarters (74%) will follow it at least somewhat closely.

With all this attention being paid to the game, managers should take note that 42% of Americans overall admit the March Madness tournament will have effects on their productivity, and for sports fans who plan to watch the game very closely, that number rises to 75%.

Many say the best way for companies to cope with the expected impact on worker productivity is to get behind the games with work-sponsored activities and bracket challenges. Fully 86% of the respondents say there are benefits to the company when employers encourage interested workers to take part in game-related activities, including:

• The company is seen as a more desirable place to work – 57%
• Employees feel more like part of a team – 56%
• Employees are more loyal – 46%
• Absenteeism is reduced – 44%

However, some employees would prefer to avoid the office altogether during March Madness – 68% say they would rather work from home during that time, and 88% of fans who will be closely following the games would prefer to do so. And there’s good evidence that companies would be well-advised to allow it. 93% say there would be benefits for the company, and 63% say they would see it as a more desirable place to work, followed by increased loyalty (59%), reduced absenteeism (53%), reduced turnover (42%), increased productivity (40%) and higher quality work product (32%).

“The study clearly shows that March Madness will have a big impact on the workplace, and it’s interesting to see how a company can benefit by participating in, rather than getting in the way of, the events,” said Holger Felgner, General Manager at TeamViewer. “TeamViewer works with sports fans by providing the ability for them to work from home without any limitation to their access to the materials and tools they use every day.”

About TeamViewer

Founded in 2005, TeamViewer is fully focused on the development and distribution of high-end solutions for online communication and collaboration. Available in over 30 languages, TeamViewer is one of the world’s most popular providers of remote control and online meetings software. More information: www.teamviewer.com

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